Maseru, 12 May 2025 – The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) released on 6 May its 2025 Human Development Report (HDR), titled "A matter of choice: People and possibilities in the age of AI,". 

The launch, held in Brussels, marks a critical moment for understanding how Artificial Intelligence (AI), which has broken into a dizzying gallop, can influence the future of human development worldwide, including in Lesotho. 

The report advocates for a human-centered approach to AI, which has the potential to fundamentally redesign approaches to development. The survey results conducted show that across the world people are ready for this kind of ‘reset’. A world with AI offers abundant choices, and exercising these choices is both a component of human development and a way to advance it. As we navigate the complexities of modern society, AI can play a transformative role in advancing human welfare. This discussion explores how AI can support education, healthcare, and economic opportunities, ultimately fostering a more equitable society.

“Amidst this global turmoil, we must urgently explore new ways to drive development”, Mr. Achim Steiner, Head of the United Nations Development Programme said. “As Artificial Intelligence continues its rapid advance across so many aspects of our lives, we should consider its potential for development. New capabilities are emerging almost daily, and while AI is no panacea, the choices we make hold the potential to reignite human development and open new pathways and possibilities.”

Going forward, development depends less on what AI can do, not on how human-like it is perceived to be, and more on mobilizing people’s imaginations to reshape economies and societies to make the most of it. Instead of trying vainly to predict what will happen, the 2025 HDRasks what choices can be made so that new development pathways for all countries dot the horizon, helping everyone have a shot at thriving in a world with AI.

This year’s report addresses how AI and digital technologies are reshaping human development pathways, creating both new opportunities and emerging challenges. It highlights the widening inequalities and slowing human development progress globally, calling for urgent, people-centered choices to harness digital transformation for inclusive and sustainable growth. 

"The choices we make in the coming years will define the legacy of this technological transition for human development," said Pedro Conceição, Director of UNDP’s Human Development Report Office. "With the right policies and focus on people, AI can be a crucial bridge to new knowledge, skills, and ideas that can empower everyone from farmers to small business owners."

The report outlines three critical areas for action for AI-augmented human development:

• Building an economy where people collaborate with AI, find more opportunities, rather than compete against it. 

• Driving innovation with intent, so opportunity for people is not an afterthought but a built-in integral part of AI design and deployment. 

• Investing in capabilities that count, by modernizing education and health systems to meet 21st-Century demands, so people have the capabilities to make the most of AI in their lives and to thrive in a world with AI. 

Lesotho's Steady Progress in Human Development by becoming Middle Human Development country 

Lesotho continues to make steady progress in advancing human development, with improvements seen across education, health, and living standards. In 2023, the country has achieved a Human Development Index (HDI) value of 0.550, placing it in the "Human Development" category for the first year, positioning it at 167 out of 193 countries and territories. This is a change of +0.005 from the 2022 HDI. This milestone reflects Lesotho’s commitment to expanding opportunities for its citizens, particularly through investments in education reforms and healthcare services.

Lesotho’s positive HDI dynamics have been primarily driven by notable improvements in education, health, and income. Between 1990 and 2023, Lesotho's HDI value changed from 0.483 to 0.550, a change of 13.9%; life expectancy at birth changed by -1.94 years while the country is still recovering from its drop during since 2007; expected years of schooling changed by 2.08 years; mean years of schooling changed by 3.62 years and Gross National Income (GNI) per capita changed by about 23.4%. 

The 2025 HDR will be launched locally by the Lesotho’s Government and UNDP in June 2025 in Maseru. This ceremony will offer opportunity to the various stakeholders to deliberate on the 2025 HDR key messages and recommendations, in relation with Lesotho’s human development trend. 

About the HDR

Launched in 1990, the HDR enables the UNDP to play a catalytic role in helping the International Community to develop appropriate responses to major emerging issues relating to the dimensions of human development. In this regard, the HDR aims to generate debate on an important development issue and, if necessary, raise awareness and alert leaders to the threats if appropriate measures are not taken. It also shows the progress made by countries, the disparities that exist between them and within them according to Human Development Indicators: Human Development Index (HDI) and its components (life expectancy at birth, expected years of schooling, mean years of schooling, and gross national income per capita), Gender Development Index (GDI), Gender Inequality Index (GII) and Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI). 

In addition, to analyze progress in human development, countries produce National Reports on specific themes in these reports, selected according to their relevance. 

To date, Lesotho has produced four National Human Development Reports (NHDR) on the following themes: (i) The first report, published in 1998, themed simply ‘Human Development’ ; (ii) the second report, published in 2006 and themed ‘The challenges of HIV and AIDS, Poverty and Food Insecurity’; (iii) the third report, published in 2016, ‘Leveraging the power of youth for human development’; the fourth NHDR, themed “Harnessing Technology and Innovations to accelerate human development in Lesotho” , published in 2024, highlighted the transformative potential and realized impact of technology and innovation in advancing human development and enhancing the quality of life of all Basotho.

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The 2025 Human Development Report is available at:  https://t.co/YgkuNbyyQ7 

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Refuoe Kefiloe Kajane, Communications and Partnerships Associate, UNDP Lesotho registry.ls@undp.org / +266 2222 8000/8103